The Scarlet Albatross: A Story of Airships and Panamindorah: Refugees, Book 1

Anaroo is an airship slave, destined to spend her days running on a treadmill, winding the great springs of the Scarlet Albatross. When a storm threatens to sink the ship, Anaroo and her fellow slaves seize the opportunity to escape. Now, at last, she can go home. However, the airship nearly sank for a reason - violent unrest among the island kingdoms below. The world is changing, and the surviving inhabitants of the Scarlet Albatross will need to cooperate to survive.

aitch says:"Wonderful"

Publisher's Summary

In the world of Panamindorah, fauns build castles, cats raise armies, and wolflings craft legendary weapons. It is a world of magic and shape-shifters, inhabited by griffins, pegasus, and centaurs. Sometimes they live in harmony. Sometimes they wear each other's pelts.

Crossroads is a collection of six stories. These stories tie into two series of novels, The Prophet of Panamindorah and The Guild of the Cowry Catchers. Whether you're a fan of the audiobooks or a newcomer, these tales of devotion, betrayal, love, and lust will entertain and surprise you. These are stories of characters at crossroads in their lives, making decisions that define them.

Yes It filled in places in the backstory and one story adds to what happens after "The Prophet of Paramindorah".

Who was your favorite character and why?

As a Collection of Short Stories the focus shifts characters. I like what happens to Cyril and learning more about Lexis.

What does Abigail Hilton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The choices of narrator/reader give extra depth to the characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt it was too short and wanted more stories about both the world and to learn more about these characters.

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Caitlin

10/11/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Panamindorah for new and seasoned readers!"

What did you love best about Crossroads?

This collection has a great range of stories, each complete on their own, but together add a way to get to know your favorite character a bit better. If you are new to the world, this is a good taste of what it's like. If you've visited before, it gives new layers and perspectives on characters and events. And hearing about little Silveo, Seven, Hualien, and all the others is just too good to pass up.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Silveo is the first character I think of when Panamindorah comes to mind, and for good reason. At every age he is both wonderfully flawed and relate-able, and an incredible three-dimensional character. I would love to spend a day talking with this clever and charming foxling.

What does Abigail Hilton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Hearing the stories narrated by Abigail Hilton, it really makes the story come alive. She is a great storyteller, and although her reading is lovely to listen to, I usually forget that I'm listening to a story, and not actually part of the adventures. Her chosen voice actors all share that ability. I can always count on Abigail Hilton's work to pull me into its world, which is not always the case with audiobooks. It also sounds like Abbie is talking with you, sharing this amazing world that she knows all about and is just so excited to share. It's impossible not to catch her enthusiasm.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

In "A Cat Prince Distinguishes Himself", Lexus's decision, and what he thinks may come of it, is particularly powerful. I love the resolve, and the hope among what might seem like a hopeless situation. It feels like a rallying cry for not just him, but echoes through the other characters stories.

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dancingdane

09/11/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"A look into their lives"

Where does Crossroads rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a hard one to rank because it is a collection of short stories. While the stories do stand alone, I think it is better to have read or listened to Prophet and Cowry Catchers shortly around the same time as Crossroads in order to have a better sense of who/what/where, etc.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love the stories of Silveo and Malpin. Silveo is such a rich character that I always want to know more about his past.

Any additional comments?

Abbie's readings are, as always, wonderful. I love to listen to her voice, especially since she knows the pronunciations of names. But she also has a very natural cadence as a storyteller, both in print and in audio.

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Traeonna

Toledo OH USA

09/11/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"A look into the past and new understanding."

What did you love best about Crossroads?

I love short story collections that are related to long series. These provided more information about certain characters that I wanted to learn more about that wasn’t appropriate to include in the original series. Short stories keep me connected to the world and is a wonderful way to supplement the original series so readers can continue to get their "fix."

What was one of the most memorable moments of Crossroads?

In "A Cat Prince Distinguishes Himself," there was a "OH! So that's what happened! That makes so much sense now!" moment.

Which character – as performed by Abigail Hilton – was your favorite?

I do have a soft spot for Silveo; however, I was pleasantly surprised to find Hualien is more than once thought.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wouldn't say I had an extreme reaction. I'm very familiar with both the series these stories come from. I was a little surprised by some of the back stories and it made me rethink my feelings about certain characters.

Any additional comments?

"A Cat Prince Distinguishes Himself" looks back to the past and focuses on Lexis from The Prophet of Panamindorah series. I love how this added a fantastic piece of back story that was not included in the original series. It made me look at the character a bit different on the next reading.<br/><br/>"On the Edge" gives us some background on a wolfling, Sevn, which joins a wolfing pack that becomes significant in The Prophet of Panamindorah series.<br/><br/>"Distraction" tells us more about the past in The Prophet of Panamindorah series. It focuses on Gabalon, and tells a story that might be unexpected for those who have read the original series. Makes a few connections that may have been missed before.<br/><br/>"Hualien" is a story about a character from The Prophet of Panamindorah series I’ve always wanted to know more about since there were hints here and there that something different about him in regards to the rest of the Raider pack…Hualien was so much more than I had imagined.<br/><br/>"Night in the Crystal City" focuses on the character Syrill from The Prophet of Panamindorah series. It is a nice back story that touches on memories of the past and a possible future.<br/><br/>"Professionals" focuses on Silveo from The Guild of the Cowry Catchers series and give some back story from a time when he was a teenager working as an assassin. This helps fill in a few questions I asked myself about when reading the original series.

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Benjamin Delano

Ontario, Canada

04/11/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great insights into a completely different world"

Have you listened to any of Abigail Hilton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Crossroads is a great companion to Abigail Hilton's Panamindorah series (both of them). It offers more depth to characters you may have already met, or provides interest to pursue more of characters you don't know...<br/>I haven't read Pirates of Panamindorah, but was intrigued by the characters from that series and now want to follow up.<br/>Any information about Sylvio (from Cowry Catchers) is always interesting because he is such a complex character.<br/>The production quality is excellent, with a variety of narrators and beautiful music to accompany the stories.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Always love to know more about Sylvio's history - he is such a tormented but fascinating character.

Any additional comments?

Crossroads makes me want to pick up Pirates of Panamindorah to complete the explorations of that amazing world created by Abigail Hilton.

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Valerie Grijalva

31/10/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great Surprise!"

Where does Crossroads rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty high I'd say, but this is asking someone who doesn't necessarily go out of their way to listen to much audio books. I really have to make myself pay attention when I do [listen], so it has to be something that will keep me pretty solidly entertained — which "Crossroads" definitely did.

What other book might you compare Crossroads to and why?

Well, I've also listened to [and read] Abigail Hilton's "The Guild of the Cowry Catchers", so I can easily compare it to that, which is set in this fantastical fantasy world [Panamindorah] that is extremely different from anything else that I have touched before. I always think it takes SUCH work to not just write stories, but write stories that are in completely created settings. SO, I can compare it to a good number of fantasy books I've read, but I think that it's never a complete comparison because of how unique Panamindorah is.

Which character – as performed by Abigail Hilton – was your favorite?

I liked the "On the Edge" story best [which I know isn't the question here, but keep going], all characters in that were fine. I know that these stories are based off of another of Abigail Hilton's series, "The Prophet of Panamindorah" I believe, so hearing these little side stories or histories of characters I know nothing about for the most part and may be spoiling for myself, definitely makes me want to run out and continue reading about them. <br/><br/>I specifically liked the story mentioned above, because it had a lot of tension and conflict already without me knowing what was going on. It's kind of silly, but I got into it and for those couple minutes I was invested in the situation and what was going on with the characters [specifically Sevn].

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

THIS QUESTIONS. I'm not sure, I'd honestly make for the worst copywriter ever.<br/><br/>"The moments we face, the paths we decide to take, the people [shelts] we become."

Any additional comments?

Obviously, I think this would be really enjoyable for anyone who wanted to hear the audio version of the written "Crossroads" or if anyone just wanted to do something awesome with their life. However, if one hasn't read both "The Guild of the Cowry Catchers" and "The Prophet of Panamindorah", it's for sure going to want to make you look into the other pretty quickly [and all the other short stories that exist].

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Jenny

25/10/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Crossroads"

Have you listened to any of Abigail Hilton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to everything Abbie has released. If you are a Prophet of Panamindorah fan then you will probably enjoy this collection. The graphic nature of one story threw me a bit. I love Prophet because it is a family friendly series that I can listen to with my kids. I expect such things with Cowry Catchers but it was juts a bit strange for Prophet.

Any additional comments?

Since I know Abbie wants honest reviews I feel obligated to leave one. Overall I enjoyed these but I liked her other stories,including the collection of short stories "Secret Things", better. If you are a fan of her work it is worth listening to at least once.

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ts

22/10/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Panamindorah is magical"

What made the experience of listening to Crossroads the most enjoyable?

I liked the back story insight to some of the characters in the main story line. It added an extra bit of fluff to make the pillow that much more comfortable.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lexus was my favorite. He shows true character and strength when all around him encourage and expect him to be quite the opposite. His father wants him to be ruthless. His attendants assume him to be weak and ineffectual.

What about Abigail Hilton’s performance did you like?

As always. I think the detail of the world Ms. Hilton creates is so fully realized that it creates complete mental images for me to enjoy while I am listened to the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The point where Lexus sees the children hiding was a pivotal point for me.

Any additional comments?

Hearing these stories made me want to go back and re-listen to the Panamindorah series again. I had forgotten how long it has been and I miss it. I will definitely go back and revisit the rest of this fantastic story.

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nathan

21/10/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Praise for Crossroads"

Would you listen to Crossroads again? Why?

The narration and the story were both fantastic. "A Cat Prince" had excellent characterization and presented the defining moment well.<br/>"Hualien" (Which is not how I expected it to be spelled) was fantastic, the "multiple" story threads were excellent, and it filled in how the 'flute' got out of the hands of Gabalon.

What other book might you compare Crossroads to and why?

I enjoyed (and still enjoy) the works of Abigail Hilton, with this 'Anthology' for the lack of a better term, being no exception.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The narrator in "A Cat Prince" had a little bit of a growl to his voice that I thought was a bit disconcerting.

Any additional comments?

Wonderful story from Abigail as always, hoping it tides me over till her next story.

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Alvin Ao

20/10/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Interesting backstories from Panamindorah"

What did you love best about Crossroads?

Having more to experience and learn in the unique world that Abigail Hilton has created.

What did you like best about this story?

Crossroads provided an engaging glimpse into the pasts of various characters from Panamindorah and Cowry Catchers. To those who already know the stories of the Panamindorah series and Cowry Catchers, like me, this fleshes out the world a bit more and we get a better understanding of the motivations of these characters. If you don't know the stories, then you'll get to see some interesting and and turbulent histories of characters years before the main stories take place.

Have you listened to any of Abigail Hilton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to the performances featured in Abigail Hilton's stories. While Panamindorah and Cowry Catchers have full cast performances adding that little extra something to the listening experience, Crossroads has many readings by Abigail Hilton, who normally has a narrators role. Despite this, her readings are still emotive, engaging, and well produced. I could very easily listen to her read (and perform) day in and day out.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I very easily could have, but I chose to listen to this on my brief drives to work. The short story format with its contained story lines lent itself to not needing to know what was happening next, but within each story, I found it difficult to stop before it was finished.

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